KS3 Chemists - Slime Experiment

Many of us have made and/or played with slime at least once in our childhood, but did you know that if you change the ratios and ingredients, you can make a whole host of other things? Last Thursday, our wonderful KS3 chemists added custard powder to the classic slime recipe to make their own bouncy balls. They then used a ruler to test how bouncy their balls were.

Well done to Aashi (9H), who made the bounciest bouncy ball (35 cm high). At the end of the session, everyone combined their bouncy balls to make a monster ball, which looked like our beautiful planet Earth! 

This activity demonstrates an interesting chemical reaction, primarily between the glue and the borax. The borax acts as a ‘cross-linker’ to the polymer molecules in the glue. The custard powder helps to bind the molecules together so that they hold their shape better. 

A massive thank you to our amazing Y12 scientists: Ainaz and Zareena for helping our KS3 chemists, and to Sophia for taking photos and videos.